Revised work schedules for educators
In an effort to address the growing challenges faced by teachers and schools in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), SPD politician Sonja Bongers has proposed a solution to alleviate the burden on existing teachers and improve overall working conditions. The proposal aims to create more teaching positions in NRW schools, thereby reducing class sizes.
The suggestion comes at a time when the German School Barometer 2022 has highlighted significant challenges, including high workloads and staffing shortages. The survey data underscores the urgency of Bongers’ proposal, as it provides empirical evidence that many teachers feel overburdened and that schools struggle with insufficient personnel.
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented teachers with significant challenges in their daily teaching due to learning gaps and psychosocial stress experienced by students. This high workload is reflected in physical and mental exhaustion, mental stress, and inner restlessness among teachers in NRW. Consequently, many teachers are reducing their contractual hours due to feeling incapable of performing their job.
The teacher shortage in NRW continues to be a growing challenge, resulting in structural lesson cancellations. Bongers' proposal seeks to address this issue directly by creating more teaching positions.
To develop a fair and up-to-date work time model for teachers in NRW, Bongers suggests working with unions, staff councils, and teacher associations. The proposed work time model would consider teaching-related, extra-curricular, and function-related tasks.
The Hamburg work time model could serve as a basis for the proposed model in NRW. This model reflects the actual working realities in schools, taking into account the increased expectations of teachers, particularly in digital teaching and learning, in recent years.
The German School Barometer 2022 revealed that 85% of teachers in NRW described their personal workload as high or very high. Bongers' proposal aligns directly with the issues reflected in the survey data, aiming to improve the working conditions for teachers and ensure a more sustainable teaching environment in NRW schools.
- Recognizing the current mental and physical health struggles among teachers in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) due to high workloads and staffing shortages, SPD politician Sonja Bongers' proposal for creating more teaching positions and improving overall working conditions could potentially benefit the health-and-wellness of educators.
- In light of the urgent need for education-and-self-development resources and mental-health support for teachers, Bongers' proposed work time model, which is based on the Hamburg model, aims to address the realistic working scenarios teachers face, including digital teaching and learning expectations, thus reducing stress levels and fostering a more balanced and sustainable work environment.
